The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has recently become ground zero for worries about air quality in classrooms. Despite receiving $81.6 million in federal and provincial funding for pandemic-related upgrades, many parents report that the measures implemented to ensure cleaner air are insufficient. This unfortunate situation has led to calls for accountability. We know that parents on the ground are pushing like hell to create a safer learning environment for their kids.
As stated on the TDSB’s website, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters were placed in every classroom to help keep the air clean. Many parents claim that these filters are not working as intended. This worried parent, Louise Hidinger, commented on the principal’s bad practice of leaving the filters off for when they’re loud. They’re forced into a tight housing so that air flow is actually being impeded into the air cleaner. Or they’re simply being used as a coffee table and have junk stacked on them.
Moving forward In January—after months of community advocacy—Clean Indoor Air Toronto (CIATO) joined forces with Toronto Public Health. Together, they created and shared the new infographics with every TDSB school with hopes of informing students and staff on how to prevent spreading respiratory infections. So in January, CIATO took the initiative to reach out to Mayor Olivia Chow. They wanted to address a chronic problem, indoor air quality in schools.
Most recently, we reported that CO2 in some classrooms had dangerously skyrocketed. Indeed, they’ve been as high as 3,500 parts per million (ppm). This amount is more than double the federal standard of keeping indoor CO2 concentrations below 1,000 ppm. Heather Pun, a parent who cares about her kids’ futures and health, shared her concerns about elevated CO2 levels. She concluded, noting that “3,500 ppm is simply not a healthy environment for children to be learning in.” In fact, studies have found that when CO2 indoor concentrations rise beyond 1,400 ppm, cognitive performance begins to decline. That’s because the brain simply doesn’t get the oxygen it needs—stunting higher level strategic thought.
The TDSB’s pandemic-related funding was meant to fund a number of renovations to improve air quality specifically designed for pandemic safety. Plenty of parents are still unsure about how effective these upgrades really are—or if they’ve even been installed correctly. One parent voiced frustrations about the perception of COVID-19’s impact on children’s health, stating, “One of the really frustrating things of this [pandemic] is how it’s been painted as something mild. It’s not,” according to Hidinger.
Toronto has issued by-laws that explicitly require compliance with ASHRAE Standard 62.1. Such a ventilation standard was made explicit in the Ontario Building Code, and yet this new standard is a big step towards ensuring all public facilities, especially schools, have adequate indoor air quality. Despite these regulations and funding aimed at improving conditions, parents allege that TDSB schools are failing to meet these standards.
Nabuurs supports improving air quality in schools. In a press room discussion last week, he underscored this long-standing issue as a key contributor to hazardous air quality within schools. “We’ve known for decades that schools are bad places for air quality,” he said. A majority of parents across the political spectrum agree on this point. They understand that their children’s health may continue to be endangered if ventilation systems and filters aren’t quickly addressed and better maintained.
The TDSB has been vocal in releasing updates on its initiatives to improve air quality. Their final report, shared online, details the concrete steps that are being taken at each school. More than ever, parents are safe to call these measures into question. Indeed, they’re convinced that our democracy at this moment thirsts more for transparency and accountability.
